Permanently Jinxed
by lilacbird
Summary: Wocky liked her. He liked her so much that he almost didn't mind the sheer tooth-grinding embarrassment that seemed to befall him whenever the two met. Pearl never did anything to humiliate him, but it seemed one of them was permanently jinxed. WxP


The last in my little arc of WockyxPearl stories- a sequel to 'An Unexpected Affair' and 'Opposites Attract'

**The last in my little arc of WockyxPearl stories- a sequel to 'An Unexpected Affair' and 'Opposites Attract'. You don't need to have read them to understand this, but maybe it would help.**

**In truth I'm sad to see this little trilogy end…**

**--**

Wocky Kitaki couldn't deny that he was one lucky guy. Girls like Pearl didn't come along every day. She was, in every sense, beautiful. She was softly-spoken and polite, and treasured her traditional values, but was far from the conventional passive woman from tales of old. She was very aware of her talents, yet never boasted, and would never mention them unless she was asked, and even then she would explain them very modestly. Her difficult past had toughened her, and she rose far above petty insults often thrown at her because of her clothes. Despite her hardened exterior, she remained kind and understanding- betrayal in her childhood had given her the gift of empathy. She had brains and she knew it, though she would never use her intelligence to undermine anyone.

Of course, if Wocky had ever questioned her on just _how _she managed to be so perfect, she would probably blush and tell him not to talk such nonsense. She would insist that she had her flaws too, such as her poor reading and spelling (though Wocky and Pearl both knew this was down to her Dyslexia), her art skills which rivalled those of a ten year old, and her tendency to over-analyse and take things too seriously. Wocky thought Pearl just thought too much because she was clever.

Wocky knew Pearl was smarter than him. She would never draw attention to this fact, though Wocky couldn't help but feel a little stupid when she used big words that he couldn't understand. He was always too proud to ask her what they meant, and so he would just nod vacantly. Pearl would often pick up on this and translate for him. She was just so aware like that.

Wocky had once made an effort to understand Pearl's formal speech, reading the whole dictionary from cover to cover. When talking with her the next day, however, it was not only he who was talking differently from normal. Pearl had attempted to brush up on gangster lingo- and failed miserably. They were both using words they didn't understand in the wrong places. Eventually they both couldn't talk because of their laughter.

There was no doubt about it, Wocky was lucky to have her and his girlfriend. Well, he supposed she counted as his girlfriend now. They hadn't actually spoken a word about 'romantic relationships' and 'going out' and all that stuff, but there was those quick kisses, those little touches here and there. It was what you'd expect from a typical 'boyfriend-girlfriend' relationship. And Wocky liked her.

He liked her so much that he almost didn't mind the sheer tooth-grinding embarrassment that always seemed to befall him whenever the two met. Pearl herself never did anything to humiliate him, but it seemed that at least one of them was permanently jinxed. Wocky had thought he was the only one with an embarrassing family. Oh how wrong he was.

--

Wow, this place was a mess. And Wocky thought _his _room was bad. He'd have to bring Plum here later- maybe then she'd stop nagging him to tidy.

Wocky felt a little uncomfortable. He wasn't even sure he should be there, but the sign outside said 'Wright Anything Agency' just like Pearl had told him, and it said 'Welcome', so he'd just let himself in. The door wasn't locked, after all, but the place seemed to be deserted.

"Hey… Oi! Anyone here?" Wocky shouted.

He heard a cry of surprise from close by, and then footsteps. A teenage girl trotted cheerfully through the door.

"Hello, you've reached the Wright Anything Agency, where you've always come to the-"

"_Shorty?_ What the hell you doin' here?" Wocky yelled. He hadn't seen her in over half a year, and she wasn't so short any more.

"Ohmigosh! Wocky!" Cried Trucy, gasping. Then she giggled "When Pearl said her friend was coming round later, I had no idea it would be _you!"_

"How d'you know Pearl?" Asked Wocky suspiciously.

"Well, she's sort of my big sister…" Trucy explained, She rubbed her chin in thought "Hey, Wocky, you know what that means? In a few years… We could be related!"

If Wocky had been drinking, he would certainly have spewed the drink all over the place.

"What!?" He shouted.

"Joking, joking!" Trucy assured him, giggling "But you _are _dating, right?"

"Naw, not exactly."

"'Not exactly'? Either you are or you aren't." Trucy sighed impatiently "…Are you nervous?"

"No." Said Wocky quickly. A little _too _quickly.

"Ohh, you _are _nervous!" Trucy teased.

"No way! I'm not!" Wocky fumbled hurriedly.

Trucy smirked "Oh you are _so_ nervous!" She laughed "I can tell from the way you scratched your cheek just now!"

_Oh Gawd, please save me from this wacked chick…_

"W-Wocky! You're early." Pearled gasped as she came in, her hair still only half dry after her shower.

"Just five minutes," Wocky shrugged.

"Actually, it's half an hour."

"What?"

"You're half an hour early." Pearl explained.

"I am?" Wocky looked at his watch, frowning. Then he held it to his ear. Not even a faint ticking could be heard. "Dammit!"

"Well, never mind," Said Pearl "Shall we be off?"

"Wait, Pearl!" Trucy suddenly piped up just as the two were about to leave. "Don't you want Daddy to meet your boyfriend?"

"Um, well, I'm not sure that's a good idea-" Pearl began to protest.

"Oh, come on! It'll give your hair time to dry." Trucy tried to persuade. Turning to Wocky, she said "Pearl's been _so_ excited about you coming, you know. She's been getting ready for practically _hours_ now, and-"

"Ok, ok!" Cried Pearl quickly, her cheeks pink "Just be quiet, Truce!"

"Aw, sis, you never let me have any fun…" Trucy pouted playfully.

"Well maybe if you didn't always behave so childishly-"

"Shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"Uh…" Wocky swallowed, looking unsurely from one quarrelling girl to the other. It was true what they say- women are scary when they fight.

"Girls, girls," A voice said with amusement. A young man wearing a scruffy sweater and a blue beanie hat slouched into the room.

"Daddy!" Cried Trucy in surprise.

"Oh, M-Mr Nick! W-We were just-" The stuttering Pearl was cut off by the man's laughter.

"So…" He said, recovering. He looked pointedly at Wocky. Wocky bit his lip. "Who's this, girls?" The man asked.

"He's Pearl's new _boyfriend!"_ Trucy shrieked gleefully, sticking her tongue out at Pearl. Pearl glared at her.

"Ah, I see." The man nodded "So you finally got yourself a 'special someone', huh Pearls?"

Pearl blushed.

"You really have grown up since then… Seventeen- you're a real woman now…" A teasing smile took over the man's unshaven face "But you'll always be the same little girl who broke the Sacred Urn and who cooked rotten potatoes over a dying fire in the Loser Club to me, Pearl."

Wocky snorted, clamping a hand over his mouth to suppress his laughter. Surely this guy couldn't be serious? Pearl in a… Loser Club? What was that, anyway?

"H-Hey! That was a very long time ago!" Pearl snapped, her face bright red.

"Sorry, sorry," The man chuckled, raising his hands defensively "So aren't you going to introduce me?" He added, nodding at Wocky.

"Oh, yes, Wocky, this is Mr Phoenix Wright- who most definitely _not_ my father!" She said, shooting a vicious glance at Phoenix "And, Mr Nick, this is Wocky, my, um… my friend."

"Her _boyfriend!"_ Insisted Trucy, oh-so _helpfully._ "We defended him last year, Daddy. You know, the gangster?"

"Oh, so _you're _the crazy, hyperactive, rude, over-confident idiot?" Said Phoenix.

"Uh, wha-?"

"Daddy!" Yelped Trucy, mortified.

"Joking, joking." Phoenix chuckled lightly "I have complete faith in Pearl's taste in men. Just a few things I want to make clear, though."

Pearl and Wocky looked at each other worriedly.

Turning to Wocky, Phoenix said "No groping. No tongues. And _no _sex."

Now it was Wocky's turn to blush.

"But I-"

"Yes, I know you're young, but if you really can't help yourself, _please_ use protection, ok?"

"B-But I wasn't gonna-"

"Come on Wocky, let's leave now!" Said Pearl quickly, grabbing Wocky by the arm and practically dragging him out the door.

"I am _so _sorry." Peal said, horrified, as soon as they fell out the door.

"S'okay." Wocky grinned sheepishly "Yo' family ain't half wacked, Pearl."

Pearl huffed indignantly, then smiled. "Well, I can't argue with you there." She admitted "They're not my blood relatives, but I guess they're counted as my family now."

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm really related to my old man..." Wocky chuckled.

"Are you kidding? You're so like him!" Pearl cried.

"What? You for real?"

"Yes!"

"No way! I'm nothin' like him!"

"Maybe not now, but Plum said that you reminded her of your father when he was your age." Said Pearl.

"What? _My _old man? But he's so… _serious!" _Said Wocky incredulously.

Pearl giggled "Well, maybe not quite the same in _that _sense." She said, stepping closer to him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Wocky grinned and bent his head and kissed her.

"Eeeee!" A high-pitched squeal emitted from somewhere above. Wocky and Pearl looked up to see Trucy leaning alarmingly far out of the second storey window of the Wright Anything Agency, beaming from ear to ear.

"You two are soooo _cuuuute!"_

--

Their meetings always followed this particular course- a string of unfortunate events. Seemingly normal daily-life pastimes backfired on Wocky and Pearl like a potato out of an exhaust pipe. They could blame it all on their terrible luck, but sometimes it just seemed that the world was out to get them.

Take this one time, for example…

--

Wocky and Pearl had gone to the park. Not People Park, a different one on the other side of town. After a series of previousincidents at People Park, the two had decided not to risk further embarrassment and switch hangouts. This was their first time at 'Whitehead's Park'- a large area covered with greenery. They had found a bench in a particularly leafy and secluded area and sat down for a chat, and maybe a quick kiss away from the eyes of other park-goers.

They had been talking for about twenty minutes, completely oblivious to the goings-on around them, when they heard something. Something not quite right. It sounded like two people… A man and a woman, whispering. And kissing.

The unlikely couple looked behind them to see the noisy lovers kissing each other passionately against a tree. Looking more carefully, Wocky and Pearl saw another couple a little further away, practically eating each other's faces. And beside them, another couple. Horrified, the two realised- they were surrounded by infatuated lovers.

They looked at each other fearfully.

"Wocky…"

"Pearl…"

"Are we…?"

_In a make-out spot?!_

--

With all their outings taking a similar route, you'd think Wocky and Pearl would take the hint and stay in. Well, that didn't do them much good either. Wocky and Pearl each were befallen with the curse of embarrassing families. And they were absolutely _sure_ they were doing it on purpose.

Just what had reality got against their relationship anyway?!

--

"Wocky, you are _not_ going out in that shirt, go and change it immediately!" Little Plum ordered just as Wocky and Pearl were about to depart from the Kitaki Mansion.

"Aw, but Mom-"

"No 'but's young man!" Said Plum fiercely "March!"

"Yeah, I'm goin', I'm goin'…" Wocky muttered with annoyance, trudging upstairs.

Reaching his room, he took off his old T-shirt and flung it carelessly on the floor. Then he opened his wardrobe and began rooting through the bottomless mess of clothes and discarded childhood memories for a clean shirt.

"Dammit!" He was making Pearl wait like this. Perhaps it was _really _time he cleared out his wardrobe.

…

Maybe not.

"Darn it, where is that boy?" Downstairs Plum sighed exasperatedly. Smiling at Pear, she said "Go up and see what's keeping him, would you, Pearl honey?"

"Okay," Said Pearl, making her way upstairs.

"Son of a…" Wocky cursed again, flinging some of the useless junk out of his wardrobe. This was all his mom's fault!

"Wocky, what are you…?" He heard the door open as Pearl came into his room.

"Yeah, I'm just… Got it!" Wocky pulled himself unceremoniously from the wreckage, a clean T-shirt grasped triumphantly in his hand. "Pearl?"

Pearl seemed frozen, rooted to the spot. She was staring disbelievingly at something at the other side of the room, her face flushed. Wocky frowned.

"Wassup, Pearl? What you starin'… at…" Wocky's voice trailed off as his eyes fell on what Pearl was staring at- a small plastic packet lay on his bed. Boy, when Plum had talked to him about buying 'protection', she had really been serious.

Wocky felt powerful heat erupting across his cheeks. God, what must she be _thinking?_ His mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, but no noise came out- he was uncharacteristically lost for words.

"P-Pearl!" He managed to splutter out "Th-This isn't what it looks like!"

The he noticed something that made it all the worse.

"Shit!" He cursed, pulling his shirt on as quickly as he could, face deep red. "I didn't- I mean, this ain't- I-It wasn't me!"

"Y-Yes, I think I know who it was…" Pearl mumbled, her eyes still staring and her cheeks still bright pink.

Wocky seethed. He knew who it was too.

"MOOO-OOOM!!"

Little Plum's voice carried sweetly up the stairs "Yee-es?"

"Gawddammit, _you_ bought those… those…" Wocky gritted his teeth in anger, running onto the landing and yelling over the stair banister.

"Condoms?" Plum offered, coming to the bottom of the stairs and looking innocently up at her son.

"Shut up! Yes!"

"Who me? Never!" Plum laughed "Okay, it was me."

"WHYYYY?!"

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Said Plum, smirking "It was just a joke."

"But what about… about _Pearl!"_ Wocky wailed.

"Aw, sorry sweetie, did I embarrass you in front of you girlfriend?" Cooed Plum with relish "Don't worry! It was just Little Plum having a joke, Pearl!" She added to put Wocky at ease.

"O-Okay, Mrs Kitaki…" Pearl stammered unsurely, walking over to the banister beside Wocky.

"It's not like he'd know how to use them anyway." Plum said nonchalantly.

"E-Excuse me?" Asked Pearl.

"Oh, he acts tough, sure…" Plum nodded. Wocky suddenly went very quiet.

"But…" Plum trotted up a few steps, looking directly a Pearl to build up suspense.

"Yes?" Pearl was also beginning to smirk now. She already knew what Plum was going to say.

"Well, actually my little boy's still-"

"Mom!" Shouted Wocky frantically, deciding that Plum wasn't kidding after all. "Don't-!"

"Oh don't be so silly!" Plum dismissed evilly "There's nothing wrong with telling your girlfriend you're still a virgin!"

--

"Wocky, are you all right?"

"Uh, wha?" Wocky blinked.

"I thought you'd fallen asleep!" Pearl smiled.

"Naw, babes. Not with you here, fo' shiz!" Wocky grinned and gave her thumbs up sign.

Pearl sighed peacefully, sliding her hand into Wocky's and intertwining their fingers and leaning her head tiredly on his shoulder. Wocky buried his face in her hair, inhaling her soft lavender scent. She looked up at him and he down at her. Their eyes locked for a second before their lips met in a long kiss. Pearl's whole body tingled as she felt his tongue touch hers lightly before quickly drawing away. Wocky wouldn't have been nearly as nervous doing that had Pearl been any other girl.

They reluctantly pulled away from each other. Pearl's heart was hammering so hard that she was sure Wocky was able to hear it. They stayed nose to nose, looking intently at each other for almost half a minute. Then Pearl frowned. Sitting up properly she looked around confusedly.

"Wassup?" Wocky asked.

"Nothing…" Said Pearl, frowning.

"What d'ya mean?"

"Nothing's going wrong!" Pearl said, amazed. "Nobody turning up to yell at us! No accidental make-out spot! No birds excreting on your jacket!"

"…Oh my Gawd…" Wocky stood up and looked around thoroughly checking the area. She was right. They were completely alone- and everything was absolutely _fine!_

"This is… a little strange…" Pearl said in awe "Am I… Am I dreaming this?"

"Not unless we're both dreamin'…"

Pearl let herself smile. Then she started to laugh. Raising her hands into the air, she twirled around happily before collapsing against Wocky. Then she gasped.

"What if…? This could go wrong any second!" She said in despair "Quick, kiss me before it wears off!"

She didn't have to tell Wocky twice.

--

They walked hand in hand towards the exit of People Park. Both felt refreshingly light- it had been their first uneventful date, and they had loved every minute of it.

"Perhaps we aren't cursed after all…" Pearl smiled.

Her smile faded, however, as they approached the gates of the park. Even before they ran up to them, both Wocky and Pearl could tell that they were clearly closed. And locked and chained at that.

"Aw _man!_ I can't believe they locked us in! Those no-good two-bit…" Wocky continued to mutter obscenities under his breath as he fought with the lock.

"I take back what I just said…" Pearl grumbled, examining the chain. "do you have a cell phone?"

"I kinda lost it…" Said Wocky, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, looks like we're here for the night then." Pearl sighed. She looked at Wocky, who gave up trying to open the gate with an angry kick to the metal bars. A smile took over her face. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she came so close that their bodies were pressed against each other.

"I'm gonna kill those bastards." Wocky said through clenched teeth.

"Please don't." Said Pearl, blinking her large violet eyes at him and pouting teasingly.

Though Wocky wouldn't admit it, at her words he just melted. All his anger washed away in less than a second. When Pearl stood on her toes and kissed him softly on the lips he felt a peculiar warm feeling spread through him. When the warmth settled, he felt his face flame.

"A-Ahh!" Wocky quickly pulled away from Pearl, horrified. Her body was pressed against his, which meant she could probably feel it against her.

"S-Sorry…" He mumbled, hiding his face in his hands and turning his back on her just in case she should see.

"Um…" Pearl was also blushing furiously. Wocky had never reacted like _that _before, at least not from what she knew. Giggling nervously, she wrapped her arms around him, his back still to her.

"Uh… Heheh." Wocky grinned hopefully at her, tugging sheepishly at his orange fringe. Having Pearl on his back like that was just making it worse. "I'm startin' ta think the world has it in for us…"

Leaning her cool cheek against his neck, Pearl whispered "Or it's telling us that no matter what, love will overcome all?" Then she giggled and blushed "That sounds so cheesy!"

It may have been cheesy, but it was all it took.

"Gyaahh!" Wocky collapsed into a sitting position, hurriedly pulling his legs up to his chest in a desperate attempt to hide it. "_Fuck!"_ He cursed himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He couldn't go home like _that! _Plum would bust a cap right in him!He'd never hear the end of it.

"Um…" Pearl went red "S-Sorry… It's not that bad…"

"Easy for you to say…" Wocky muttered.

"I guess a completely uneventful evening was too much to hope for…" Pearl sighed. Then she smiled "I think I prefer it like this, though."

"Like… disaster-zone stuff?" Wocky said, bewildered.

"Well, it never gets boring, that's for sure!" Pearl laughed.

"Yeah…" Said Wocky. Then he brightened "Yeah!"

"Well we're stuck here all night…" Pearl said acceptingly, sitting down on the grass beside Wocky. "What should we do?"

There was an awkward pause.

"Ok!" Said Pearl "It all started when Phoenix, Mystic Maya and Pearl received tickets from an old friend. And not just any ticket, but tickets to the Hero of Heroes Grand Prix…"

And as Pearl lost herself in her story, Wocky listened intently, forgetting all previous embarrassment, and not even _caring _what his mother would think when he returned from a night with Pearl like _that._

Speaking of which, just how was he going to explain…?

--

**Poor Wocky and Pearl! How I torture them so…**

**As I said, I am expecting this to be the last in my WockyxPearl 'trilogy', but by no means am I abandoning this couple! I love them too much.**

**Sorry for Wocky's language, but I think you can forgive him considering the circumstances, heheheh…**

**Reviews much appreciated! Loved it? Hated it? Please let me know what you thought!**


End file.
